Disturbing and Possibly Racist

I am reminded that we are capable of free expression without resorting to violence and lethal weapons to convey ideas. This appears to be particularly questionable from a member of law enforcement.

But then Arizona also has some patently unconstitutional ideas about subjects like immigration, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that images which appear to advocate for presidential assassination would originate in gun-mad AZ.

This cop should be fired for bad judgment.  If this isn't hate speech, it comes damned close.

From MSNBC, news services and the NYTimes:

Secret Service to probe bullet-ridden Obama image

'We respect the right of free speech and expression but we certainly have the right and obligation to speak to individuals to determine what their intent is,' Secret Service says

NBC, msnbc.com and news services

updated 1/27/2012 3:03:03 AM ET

A photograph showing a group of men with guns posing with a bullet-ridden image of Barack Obama's face is to be investigated by the Secret Service, a spokesman confirmed to NBC News.

The New York Times reported that the picture showed seven young men, four with weapons, one of whom was holding a T-shirt with the president's face on it, above the word "HOPE." The T-shirt was covered in holes and gashes.
The Times said the photograph was posted on the Facebook page of a Peoria, Ariz. police officer, Sgt. Pat Shearer, on Jan. 20.
"We are aware of it. Anytime information is brought to our attention that a group or individual expresses an unusual interest in one of our protectees, we conduct the appropriate follow-up," Secret Service spokesman Max Milien told NBC News.
"We respect the right of free speech and expression but we certainly have the right and obligation to speak to individuals to determine what their intent is," he added. "We treat anything (any potential threat) seriously. We can't dismiss anything."
Jay A. Davies, a police spokesman, told the Times in an email that "an administrative investigation into any possible policy violations on the part of our employee" was being carried out.
The paper added that the photograph also appeared on the Facebook page of someone in the picture, who was identified as a Peoria high school student.
Assassination charges On Tuesday, an Idaho man accused of firing shots at the White House pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama.
A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Story: Man pleads not guilty to trying to kill Obama Ortega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.
Gunman who shot at federal buildings pleads guilty Prosecutors say Ortega used an assault rifle with an attached scope to fire a series of shots at the White House from long range on the night of Nov. 11. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were out of town at the time.
In the months before the shooting, investigators say, he had had become obsessed with Obama, referred to him as the anti-Christ and told at least one person that he planned to "take care of" the president.
Obama turns attention to energy in key states Ortega, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was indicted last week on 17 counts including trying to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting officers or employees of the United States with a deadly weapon.
Those charges refer to three Secret Service employees who authorities say were on the grounds of the White House at the time of the shooting.
The hearing took place in the same week that a lawyer for John Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, is making his case for extended time away from the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley has been confined.

New Update on a Recent Mass Shooting Murder Suicide

This woman was terminally ill.  This woman's care put a tremendous strain on her family, but you have to wonder about the thought processes of a gun nut that drove him to shoot people rather than seek help, and continue seeking help, until he got what he needed as a caregiver.

Guns make impulses of despair like this,like every other murder/ suicide too easy, too accessible, too common.

From the HuffPo and the AP :

Terminally Ill Ohioan Darlene Gilkey Dies On Day Of Son's Funeral: Saw Husband Shoot Relatives

01/15/12 03:06 PM ET   LOGAN, Ohio — A terminally ill woman has died days after her husband fatally shot their adult son and her two sisters in front of her at a southeastern Ohio home and then killed himself.

Authorities said the shootings last Monday in rural Logan apparently stemmed from family tensions over the care of the cancer-stricken woman, 59-year-old Darlene Gilkey. She was not hurt in the shootings and was taken to a medical facility afterward.

Her daughter-in-law, Heather Sowers, said Gilkey died Saturday, hours before the funeral for her 38-year-old son, Leroy Gilkey of Columbus.

Another son, Ralph Sowers III, told 911 dispatchers that he witnessed the shootings by his stepfather, Paul "David" Gilkey, who was found dead on a porch. Sowers said his stepfather let him leave the scene because he has children.

Friday the 13th - Scary? Wear Your Ballistic Undies!

I considered and rejected a lot of possible funny intros and commentaries on this, (including a teasing one about acquiring this kind of undies if you wear a gun in your belt instead of a holster).

So, instead, I'll leave it here as one of the more curious aspects of protective, passive, defensive equipment against guns.

While they are not perfected yet, clearly, this is an interesting development that addresses passive self defense rather than offensive self-defense.

Enjoy.

From MSNBC.com  

British troops model their protective — but not very comfortable — ballistic underwear.

Marines have ballistic boxers — now they need to be comfy, too

Underwear protect troops, but better breathability, flexibility and comfort sought 

 By Jeremy Hsu

updated 1/12/2012 5:35:40 PM ET

Kevlar underwear can protect U.S. Marines against blast fragments flying like bullets through the air, but it lacks the comfort of simple cotton undies or silky unmentionables. Now the U.S. military has begun searching for better alternatives that prevent chafing as well as battle wounds. The U.S. Marine Corps sees comfortable undergarments as being equally important to ballistic protection, according to a new request for information aimed at U.S. manufacturers. That means any new underwear fabric must not only shield private parts against burns and tiny fragments traveling at 650 feet per second — the speed of some bullets — but also feel soft against the skin and have the breathability to dry out quickly.
"In particular, we are looking for better breathability, flexibility and comfort while ensuring our Marines maintain the level of protection stated in our requirement," said Barbara Hamby, a public affairs representative for the Marine Corps Systems Command.
Wounds in such sensitive areas can lead to rapid blood loss or infections among U.S. Marine and Army forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a previous Army contract for ballistic underwear. It added, "Without ballistic undergarments, I MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) and 10th Mountain forces will continue to suffer significant injuries, loss of life, resulting in an adverse effect on combat operations."
U.S. Marines have previously used 75,000 protective undergarments manufactured by a British company for British soldiers. The Marine Corps Systems Command also requested 144,000 undergarments made by U.S. supplier Armorworks in late June 2011, so that U.S. Marines began receiving them in December.
"The protective material in these protective undergarments is a Simplex Weave Kevlar fabric," Hamby told InnovationNewsDaily. "It provides excellent protection from sand and gravel debris from improvised explosive devices."
Silk fabric or synthetic fiber such as Twaron may prove more comfortable than the Simplex Weave Kevlar, Hamby said. The Marine Corps has identified several U.S. fabric manufacturers who might create ballistic underwear using such materials.
Any manufacturer that does take up the challenge must also meet strict guidelines for hygiene and laundry — the underwear should be able to dry out "in less than 4 hours" and resist microbes with "95 percent bacteria reduction after 25 home laundering cycles."

Protectie skivvies would come in handy in a situation like this. A simulated improvised explosive device detonates during a realistic training scenario at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

You can follow InnovationNewsDaily Senior Writer Jeremy Hsu